Blejska kremna rezina
The famous Bled cream slice: crisp golden puff pastry with a thick vanilla custard layer and billowy whipped cream on top, chilled until it holds a clean slice.
- prep
- 1 h
- cook
- 40 min
- total
- 1 h 40 min
- serves
- 12
- level
- hard
Blejska kremna rezina, the Bled cream cake, was created in 1953 by pastry chef Ištvan Lukačević at the Park Hotel in Bled. Its formula is simple and precise: crisp puff pastry on the bottom, a thick vanilla custard layer, a layer of whipped cream, and a thin crisp pastry lid dusted with sugar.
The trick is the texture contrast: the shatter of baked puff pastry against two very soft creams. Chill it well and cut with a serrated knife.
Blejska kremna rezina is one of the twenty most famous Slovenian foods.
method
Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Prick both sheets of puff pastry all over with a fork, place each between two baking sheets so it bakes flat, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until crisp and golden. Cool completely.
Trim one sheet to fit the bottom of a 20 x 20cm tin lined with baking paper. Trim the other sheet to the same size and cut it into 12 squares for the lid.
Warm the milk with the scraped vanilla seeds. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl, then pour in the hot milk while whisking.
Return to the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbling, 2 minutes. Squeeze the water from the gelatin and whisk it in.
Pour the warm custard over the bottom pastry, smooth the top and cool to room temperature, then chill 1 hour until set.
Whip the cream with the sugar until stiff peaks form and spread it over the custard.
Place the pastry squares on top, dust with powdered sugar and chill for at least 3 hours. Cut with a serrated knife.
chef's tips
- Bake the pastry flat and fully; undercooked puff goes soggy under the cream.
- Cut the lid into portions before assembling so it does not crush the cream when you slice.
- Best eaten the day it is assembled: the pastry softens as it sits.